Foreign Minister Sergei ⁠Lavrov said Monday that Russia was waiting for a formal U.S. reply to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin's ‍proposal to extend ‍for a year a treaty on strategic arms, ⁠but did not want to rush matters.

"Let's not get ahead ​of ourselves," Lavrov told the RIA news agency. "Until the treaty expires, it ‍is logical to give the American side the ⁠opportunity to complete an all-encompassing examination of Russian President Vladimir Putin's initiative to freeze for a ⁠year the qualitative ​limits ⁠of the (New Start) treaty on a voluntary ‍basis."

Lavrov also said Russia had sent the ‌United States a proposal in September on drawing up a system ⁠of ​overall security guarantees ‍and suggested a proposal issued in 2021 would ‍be a good starting point.